Friedberg.
Friedberg.
Travelling north from Frankfurt is the city of Friedberg.
The Friedberger Brauhaus also called St Florian Bräu can be found in
the Kaiserstrasse 37-39, 61169 Friedberg, Tel: 06031 6846012. This
small brewpub founded in 1988 is cosy and relaxed with a small covered
area in the street for outside drinking. Beers available are Helles,
Dunkles and Weizen. Schlüchtern. 
The brauhaus Schlüchtern is a particularly grim tasteless location (See
photo below) and the interior is not much more exciting than the
exterior. In addition the service is far from welcoming which may be
due to the fact that the brewery is in the process of changing hands
(May 2000). The only beers available were a slightly cloudy
(unfiltered) Helles which was pleasant although undistinguished and a
Dunkel which was slightly malty but very ordinary. Fulda 
In total contrast to the brewery above, the Hotel Brauhaus Wiesenmühle
is one of the most tasteful breweries in Hessen with an excellent
choice of quality beers. Although very close to the centre of Fulda
its location by the river is calm and the watermill actually works. The
address is Wiesenmühlen Strasse 13, 36037 Fulda, Tel: 0661 928680, Fax:
0661 9286839. The only way to really appreciate the Wiesenmühle is to
stay there and the accommodation is first class with the rooms at the
back overlooking the watermill the calmest with the best view. The
owner Wilfried Kenner has built 7 breweries in Germany and obviously
knows his job. The pub area has many rooms in the Bavarian style and a
very large beergarden (Watch out for the mosquito's!). Food is self
service from an open buffet and is also Bavarian style with an
excellent choice of grilled meats and sausages. Nidda.
The Hotel and Gasthofbrauerei Zur Traube can be easily found in the
centre of Nidda in the marketplace at Markt 21, 63667 Nidda, Tel: 06043
40470, Fax: 06043 404710. The hotel has existed for more than 150 years
but a serious fire in 1996 reduced the building to ashes and this was
the opportunity to rebuild the hotel with its own brewery. Officially
opened in August 1998 the Zur Traube has become a focal point for the
locals and offers good food and beer to enjoy both inside and
especially outside sitting in the Marktplatz on a sunny day. Open from
11:00 to 14:30 and 17:00 to 00:00 Mon - Thu, 11:00 to 00:00 Fri - Sun,
the Zur Traube offers seating for nearly 200 with an extra first floor
room for up to 180 as well as 16 Hotel rooms. Brewer Markus Lotz uses
ecologically friendly barley from Hessen and Tettnanger hops to brew
his beers and also organises beer seminars and brewery visits. Gießen.
The Gasthausbrauerei Alt-Gießen was opened in 1998 by the former owner and brewer of the Wieinheim Woinemer brewery
Ralf Bohrer and one can see the similarity in the beermat designs. The
brewpub can be found in the Westanlage 30-32, 35390 Gießen, Tel: 0641
76600 Fax: 0641 72652. See the map below for directions. The pub has an
interesting spacious interior layout and a decent beer range is
available according to the season. From the beers tasted the brewery
offers a pale Helles which was rather bitter and slightly metallic as
well as a Dunkel which was smoother than the Helles but a bit thin with
a malty taste which only comes through when the beer warms. Also on
offer was a coppery coloured Maibock which was an excellent example of
this style with a sweet then bitter aftertaste. The brewery also
produces its own spirits distilled from their beer such as a 54% Alc.
Hopfen-Feuer, a 43% Alc. Malz-Bierbrand, a 43% Alc. Hopfenkräuterbrand
and a 43% Alc. Reiner Bierbrand. A varied menu is also available as
well as Hefe Weizen beer in Summer. Fuldabrück Dornhagen. Erdermünder-Haldorf. Bad Wildungen. Willingen.